Fossil raindrops probe ancient atmosphere

The work hinges on the effects of atmospheric
composition on drops' flights

The imprints of raindrops preserved in 2.7bn-year-old rock are being used to figure out what the atmosphere was like on the early Earth.

Scientists have used the depressions drops left to calculate how fast they were going as they impacted the ground.

This has allowed them to determine the density of air in ancient times.

This "palaeobarometry" approach, revealed at the AGU Fall Meeting, will help constrain the models that try to simulate conditions in Archaean times.

Earth 2.7 billion years ago was very different from the planet we know today.

It spun much faster, the Moon was closer and the Sun was much weaker. And there were no animals or plants in existence back then; the air was simply not breathable.

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